Even though it was just hours after pretty much finishing deadline, I dragged myself and my daughter out to Emo's to see a show. I had forgotten that PlayRadioPlay! was doing a show with Yellowcard last night. I had emailed the publicist earlier in the morning to ask for streaming content for the Texas album by the band, since I had not yet rated it for this issue. In between finding the album on the shelf I got an email back from her that said something like, "Enjoy the show!" That's how I found out or remembered that there was a show and that I was on the guest list (+1) with a photopass.
When I arrived and handed the guy at the door my driver's license, he couldn't find my name on the bands' list, the other list, or the willcall list. Rather than throw a fit like I've looked down my nose upon in the past, I thanked him and went over to the band entrance on the sidewalk and stood there and listened to their set. At least I got to hear the melodic band play its fine music. They did sound really good. It was a sold-out show, so the audience seeing them was nice and full.
Before they went on I met a couple of the nicest guys, who were in a band called Kiros. They are on a Canadian label distributed in the US by Victory Records. I stood out on the sidewalk and listened to some of their set, too. Afterwards I talked to a guy named Zulton, Ryan, and Tyler. I found out about their annual treks to Cornerstone and how their tour was going. They were out with The Audition and four other bands. With distro by Victory, I had expected to hear some intense hardcore, but they were very melodic and sing-along-able. The label on their CD says: "A Hope Inspired Melodic Experiment. This Record Will Change You... For Fans Of Jimmy Eat World, Relient K, and Anberlin. That's a fair comparison. I'm looking forward to digging into their new album, A Single Strand.
So, even though the night started in frustration, it ended well. And, of course, seeing how we were headed back home earlier than expected, we stopped at Waterloo Records (where I almost picked up the new album by The Recaunters) and Amy's Ice Cream.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at March 30, 2008 10:47 AM